In One Piece
by Pakmai
Summary: National Gallery is not the first place Q and Bond have met. Q wasn't just picked up off the street to become Quartermaster, he's been climbing the ladder of Q-branch for a very long time, and he's run into Bond before. Bond is getting older but his memory is sharp. He's been keeping an eye on this boffin. 00Q, Whishaw!Q, Craig!Bond.
1. Chapter 1

**So it's been a while since I wrote a 00Q fic, or any fic at all. This is intended to be Daniel Craig's Bond and Ben Whishaw's Q. I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Comments/Reviews welcome!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own 007, Q, or any of the other characters. I'm just playing in the sandbox more talented people have provided.**

* * *

By the time Damien, the future Quartermaster of MI6, hit puberty, he was pretty sure he knew what he was good at. And that thing was computers. Mechanical things he found a fascination in, how things worked and what made them do what they were made to do. But when he was introduced to computers, it was like an entirely new world opened up. He was never a very social young man, smarter than average and never quite fitting in. Computers never cared, neither did people on the other end whom he chatted with once he also was introduced to the Internet.

When he found he could create not only computers himself, but that he could learn to make websites and programs, Damien found another love in coding. He devoured textbooks, mostly teaching himself and of course through that he learned about hacking. There was a challenge in it, a sense of accomplishment, especially when he stumbled upon so-called 'hacktivist' chat rooms. They not only bragged about what they did, but through them he found that some people even hired hackers. That revelation alone blew the young man's mind. To be paid to do something he loves for a good cause?

By the time the young genius turned 16, he was somewhat infamous online under the name Umbra Dominus, or Shadow Lord in English. Maybe it was a little bit pretentious to proclaim himself a Lord of anything, but he had considered using King instead of Lord. So there was a bit of restraint shown there. He did understand that hacking was illegal and filtered his money through many different services, rendering it basically untraceable before it ended up in his account from a seemingly legitimate shell company that he set up. It was devious, but at the time, Damien thought he was doing good things, and that justified what he was doing.

Unfortunately when you gain the sort of notoriety that he did, not only do law enforcement start looking for you, but those of a more seedy nature will start looking for you as well.

Starting to look at Universities near his graduation at 17, Damien wants to lend some legitimacy to his skills with a degree, though he knows that he is probably smart enough to do any job he could get with a degree. But being on his own in an unfamiliar town for probably the first time means that he's vulnerable in a way that he never considered before.

Walking down a sidewalk from the Tube toward the University to look at it as a possible candidate, Damien isn't aware enough of his surroundings to notice the SUV that pulls up to the curb. The men who get out are wearing suits, not something that seems particularly out of place, but the mid-afternoon hour means that not many people are around to see Damien get grabbed off the sidewalk, a black bag pulled over his head and something injected into his arm that ceases his struggle shortly after he is manhandled into the vehicle.

The next thing the young man knows is the aching pain in his head and a grogginess. Remembering what happened to him, her jerks his head up – the bag having been removed at some point – to look around the room. He is bound to a chair by his legs and his wrists not behind his back, but on the arms of the rather heavy metal chair that, on closer inspection, seems to be bolted to the floor. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he looks around sharply at everything, trying to take in any details that he could use later when he got out of this situation. He's a bit optimistic maybe, but he can't face the other possibility.

"He is awake." A deep voice says from behind Damien, having a rather distinctly Russian accent. There is a little shuffling and scooting of chairs before two larger men come around in front of the younger man, looking at him. "You are Umbra Dominus, yes?" One of them asks, the same that was speaking originally.

It's a little cliché, yet legitimately scary, when the second man brings out a butterfly knife and starts flipping it open and closed. Damien swallows and then nods a little."Y-yes." he stutters, hating himself for that, but he's pretty much at their mercy and while his hacking has all been fun and games up to this point.

The man with the knife nods a little, his voice sounding more British. "Good. You're going to hack MI6 for us and delete some information." He says as he points a knife at him. "You do it, or we hurt you." He says in a casual manner of someone who is used to violence.

"MI6? I've never hacked into anything like that before." Damien objects as he looks at the men, glad he wore his contacts today, but he jerks against the restraints a little once, just to test them.

The Russian snorts a little. "You will do it. We have tracked you, seen what you do, and you have the capability." He reaches out and grabs Damien by the throat. "He would enjoy hurting you. I would not mind." He says in an indifferent voice, "You will do this, and maybe live." He says in a darker tone.

Ultimately, Damien figures he has no choice, and since with a hand on his throat he can't speak, he just nods a little. The two seem content with that, and they soon roll over a desk with a computer on it. His hands are transferred to longer cuffs and before long he's at work with trembling hands.

While he quickly finds out that he can hack MI6 more easily than he would have thought possible, but since the two men watching him don't seem to really know much or anything about hacking, he isn't as subtle as he could be about it. Of course, he's already well into the system before he starts setting off their emergency alarms and then he leaves a nice little trace back to where he is. Of course, the Russians get a little impatient with how long he is apparently taking, and he gets a fist to the face for his efforts which doesn't help matters. Besides the new bruise and split lip he's sporting, his head is now ringing and pounding.

At least the agents at MI6 aren't completely inept and before Damien actually gets to deleting the files the Russians want him to, the place is stormed and all he can do is duck down when the bullets start flying, and a ricochet ends up embedding itself near his ribs, but not going fast enough to do any real damage. Still, it makes him shout with pain, rocking back in his chair a little.

What happens next is all a bit of a blur as he is freed from his cuffs and brought to a waiting ambulance. When he wakes up next, he's in a hospital bed, with a bandage across his side. And apparently once again handcuffs, he figures out when he tries to lift a hand to his cheek and discovers that his wrist is handcuffed to the rail of the bed.

"You're quite an interesting man, Mr. Brown." A female voice says not far from where Damien is, and he looks over to see the older woman in a chair he didn't notice before. The chair is plush and comfortable, and doesn't appear to be original to the room he's in. The woman herself, is a commanding presence despite her apparent age.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Damien asks as he looks around for a few moments, trying to find any hint, but the room is rather generic, not even a window letting him know what part of the city they're in.

"You may call me M. I'm the head of MI6, the agency you hacked yesterday." M says as she looks from the folder she had open in her hands over to the young man, closing the folder slowly. "That was very skillful of you. Our experts say you deliberately set off the alarms. In fact, they can't find out how you got in." She says thoughtfully as she looks at the young man.

Damien sighs, closing his eyes for a few moments. "That's because your firewall is shit." He says bluntly. "All of your security is. Honestly, for such a high ranking government agency I'm surprised, I've run into banks that have better security." he says before opening his eyes and blinking a few times as he looks back at the woman. He's pretty tired of everything at the moment, just grateful he seems to have made it out in one piece.

M's eyebrows go up for a moment, containing her amusement as she looks at the young man. "So it's true, you are this.. Umbra Dominus I've been told about. Interesting use of Latin." She says quietly with a slight smile. "How did you learn how to hack like that?" She asks, trying to figure out if this is a fluke or if he's part of a group of people.

Damien shrugs slightly. "Taught myself. It was a challenge, and bit of fun." he says as he looks at her, then pulls on his handcuffed wrist. "Am I under arrest?" He asks pointedly as he looks at her.

"That all depends. Given the proper resources, could you improve our security, to keep out other people like you?" M asks curiously as she looks at him, evaluating and trying to figure out if she should put her trust in the young man.

"Yes." Damien says without even having to think about it. "I've written my own software for my own machines." The young man looks more confused by the moment. "Why?"

"I'm prepared to offer you a job at MI6. Working in a department we call Q-branch. It takes care of the technology requirements for our agents. In and out of the field. Protecting them means protecting their identities as well." She says as she watches him, folding her hands over the folder in her lap. "You wouldn't get to go to University and you would have to give up your outside life. Give up who you are. You're a criminal, and we can't have that sort of person on our payroll, you understand." She says as she watches him.

"I wouldn't care about my identity. I don't have much of one outside the internet anyway. And if I were working for you, I wouldn't need that, I imagine." Damien says as he looks at her. "This is real, you'll let me go if I come work for you?" he asks in surprise as he looks at her.

M nods slowly as she looks at him. "We will arrange a flat for you, give you training. We'll keep you under surveillance until you prove yourself to us. Is any of that a problem?" She asks as she stands slowly to step over beside the bed.

Damien shakes his head slowly, a little stunned at the offer he's being given. "No, o problem." He reassures as he looks at her, very interested in this opportunity.

"Then welcome to MI6, Mr. Brown. Do get better soon." M says as she holds her hand out to him.

Taking her hand with his free one, Damien nods a little and give it a firm shake. "Thank you." He says in a dazed tone, wondering if he's hallucinating all of this and got hit on the head harder than he thought.

When Damien is healed up enough, he is given time to retrieve what he needs from his former residence, moved into a small, pre-furnished one-bedroom flat. He is given a new identity, keeping his first name because it's much easier to work that way. He's also given the supporting documents, including a bank account, for this new identity. All of this happens before he's escorted to Q-branch. What he sees there is like a wet dream for anyone interested in mechanics. Between the car, the gadgets and the gunfire, Damien isn't sure what to look at first.

Unfortunately he won't be seeing any of those things any time soon, as he's escorted to a smaller room which has state of the art computers set up and various other computer equipment. "The man who runs Q-branch is the Quartermaster. Everyone calls him Q. R is his right hand man." The agent who escorted Damien says, then he adds, "After you protect our computers and network, then M might see about letting you mess around out there. You know how to a fire a gun?" The young woman asks as she looks at him.

Damien shakes his head. "No bloody clue." He says honestly as he looks at everything, booting up the computer and frowning briefly at it as his mind goes to work.

"Well, you're going to learn. M wants everyone, even you boffins, to be able to take care of themselves should there be a breach." The woman says before she shrugs a little.

"And you, you're an agent?" he asks, glancing her over curiously before he looks at some of the binders and folders left on his desk.

"Don't look so shocked. My name is Eve Moneypenny. I may be new here as well, but I'll be in the field soon enough. Q-branch mostly caters to the double-oh's, though. Q equips them personally, and most of the boffins around here assist with missions." The woman explains with a little shrug and a small smile. "Go to it, then, little genius." She says, reaching out to ruffle his brunette curls.

Before she can touch him, Damien ducks his head out of the way and gives her a bit of a glare. "Don't. Don't touch me." he says in a firm tone, though there's something deeper going on from the various emotions in his eyes.

Holding her hands up in defense, Eve nods a little. "Alright. Sorry. See you later." She says with a little smile before she turns and walks out, closing the door behind her.

Yes, best to keep people at arm's length here. Damien knows where he wants to be, and that's to become Q one day. The things he could do with the sorts of resources that man must have, to help agents save the world. To make useful things which will keep people safe. Finally, he has a goal in life and a direction. The first step being to impress his new employer.

With that in mind, Damien turns back to the computer and starts to make lists of things he'll need while he works on his won software. It won't be done overnight, but he knows himself. It won't take the years that it should.

He has a goal, and now he has to get to work.


	2. Chapter 2

**This gets a little darker near the end, a little explanation given by Q. It's not specific though. Thanks for reading!**

 **Review/Comments welcome!**

* * *

It takes a few years before Damien is comfortable at Q-branch. Though it takes less than three months for him to get out of that closet. He's trusted now, his surveillance gone, and he's matured. Become more of a team player, even though he is still a little aloof. Being the youngest person on the team he always feels he has to prove himself. Which leads him to do more and work a little harder than his colleagues. It doesn't earn him a lot of friends, but he's not there to make friends. He's there to do a job.

Never having many friends means that he's not any more lonely not having them now. If he does get lonely, he goes to a pub and finds some companionship for the night, though that doesn't happen very often.

They're working on a few new things for the Double-ohs. A new, younger one has been promoted recently they heard, though none of them have seen the man yet. Damien has been working on some new tracking devices, trying to make them easier to hide. He's good at being inventive, and slightly worse with the gadgets that the current Q seems so fond of. Exploding pens, laser watches, and the like. While he does see the merit in smaller, shaped explosives for precision, he doesn't see the use in putting it in a pen.

So far it has been a typical day, a few agents coming in for their kits and Damien overhears snippets about their missions. He's been keeping an ear open for everything, learning what he can without being nosy or asking too many questions.

By now he has learned the basics of self defense and at least how to fire a hand gun safely which means he can work testing out the guns if he needs to. Finishing up with his work, he glances up from his workbench, intrigued as he watches a man he's not seen before. Clearly an agent from the easy grace with which he moves, and the way he glances around. Damien is frustrated though, since from this position all he can see is broad shoulders and blonde hair.

Shaking his head to draw his attention away from what he can only guess is an attractive man, or at least an attractive body, Damien glances down at his work and starts to clean his station, having finished the first project he set out for himself that day.

Pulling over his next project, Damien gets a little absorbed in it before he hears a crash and someone yells, "Look out!" He barely has time to lift his head before he sees some sort of propeller blade whizzing toward his head, only to be tackled to the ground.

With the wind knocked out of him by the cement floor, and probably a nice little knot forming on his head, Damien groans softly, keeping his eyes closed as he tries to catch his breath.

"Who said boffins don't live on the edge? That was bloody close, are you alright?" The man who tackled Damien asks, lifting his body off the young man. "A bump is better than death." He notes as he looks at him.

Fluttering his eyes open finally, Damien looks up at his rescuer and stares for a few moments. Blond hair, eyes so bright and almost aquamarine and broad shoulders he remembers glimpsing from across the room. Well, he wanted to see his face, and now he has.

"I'm fine." Damien finally says in his cool, clipped tones, scooting back a little so he can sit up. When there's no dizziness or anything, he gets up and brushes himself off. "Thank you, Mr..?" he trails off as he looks at the older man.

"Bond. James Bond." The blond says with a little smirk as he stands, and then holds his hand to the younger man.

Damien nods, straightening and taking Bond's hand. "Pleasure." He says as he shakes the hand firmly, but quickly withdraws his hand. He really does try not to stare at the older man, even though he is probably the most attractive man he has ever seen. To take his mind off of it, he turns away from the agent, and goes to retrieve the propeller blade. "Perhaps be a bit more careful next time, Peters." He says in a frustrated tone as he hands the piece over to him.

Watching the boffin for a few moments with a calculating gaze, Bond puts his hands in his pockets casually. "Not in the mood to introduce yourself?" he asks with a slight smirk.

"No. I've now got a headache I have to work through because of my coworkers' incompetence. And you've no need to know my name, Bond. Or perhaps I should call you 007." Damien muses, putting the pieces together and figuring this man must be the new double-oh he had heard about.

"Oh? Why do you think I don't need to know your name?" Bond asks as he watches the attractive young man, leaning his hip against the work station and looking it over. He has yet to work up to the witty repartee` he might later be known for, still a little too emotionally detached and too cold. More of a predator stalking prey than someone who likes to play with his food.

"The chances that we will never speak again are rather high. I am but one member of Q-branch and you have only need to deal with Q himself." Damien says as he turns to fully face Bond for a moment. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." He says in clipped tones before he turns back to his work station.

"So cold. We could make a reason to see each other again.." Bonds notes in a quiet, seductive tone as he leans closer, reaching out to place his hand lightly on Damien's waist.

Jerking away when he feels the first brush, Damien steps away. "Don't touch me." he snaps, though his breathing is faster now, looking ever so slightly panicked.

"007, if you please, we have a few things to go over." Q calls from the other side of the room, sounding a little exasperated that another double-oh has wandered off.

Looking a little surprised at the reaction to what was a very innocent touch, Bond nods a little. "My mistake." he says in a cooler tone as he turns away from Damien and heads over to where he was summoned by the older Q.

"Don't take it personally, Bond." Q says as he looks at the much younger man. "He doesn't let anyone touch him. Now stop bothering my staff and pay attention." He says in a sharper tone as he brings Bond back to the present.

Staring back at Damien for a few moments, James tries to figure him out, but he has to push that into the back corner of his mind. A puzzle to figure out another time, he turns his attention back to the matter at hand, and the mission that he is about to be sent on.

Damien takes a deep breath from his work station, gritting his teeth before he glances around. No one seems to be staring so they're either used to his behavior or they simply don't care. He has to do better, but the man was too close, too unfamiliar. And far too attractive for his own sanity. Thank goodness he is a double-oh, one he won't have to deal with. And one that will probably have a short life expectancy, like all the others.

A firm nod of his head and Damien settles himself before he goes back to his work, finishing his second project later that day before he retires to his computer room to work on things there, never slacking, never letting his skills lapse when it comes to computers and hacking. Determined to get a certain set of blue eyes out of his head, Damien does what's good for him: focusing on his work.

~oOo~

"I heard you met our new double-oh today." Eve says as she spots Damien in the cafeteria type place, bringing her food over to sit across from him with a small smile. She's pretty much the only one the young man tolerates. Or at least, she doesn't care if he tolerates her or not, she's determined to be friends with him.

"He saved me from a rogue propeller blade. From what I have seen, he'll fit in well with the others." Damien says as he looks up from a new coding book he was reading through. "I would have thought you heard all about it by now, Ms. Moneypenny." The young man says before he eats a few more bites of his pasta, though his food looks barely touched.

Eve chuckles a little as she chews thoughtfully. "I just wanted to see if it was true. Are you crushing on him yet? Half of the female staff already is." She says with a little smirk. "I know he was an agent before getting his double-oh status, but I don't remember ever seeing him around. Still haven't seen him. I guess he doesn't like to hang around MI6 too much."

Damien sighs a little,using a ripped corner of a paper as a bookmark before closing his book. Apparently he isn't going to be left alone to read it anyway. "Unlike some agents, you mean? Honestly, I would hardly think you were an agent. You spend more time here at MI6 than anywhere else I think. Are you sure you're suited to being a field agent?" He asks curiously as he looks at her, not intending to be insulting, but a bit curious.

"You're not the first one to ask that. But yes, I am sure. And there's nothing wrong with knowing about what goes on in your work place. I'm very good at intelligence gathering." Eve says with a slight smirk, tilting her head to the side. "What about you, you've been here a few years now. Haven't seen you pay any particular attention to anyone." She muses thoughtfully before she looks back down at her food.

Picking up his mug of Earl Grey in both hands, Damien considers how much to tell this woman, and he figures that if anyone can be a friend around here it might just be her. "I'm not very suited for relationships." He skirts around the subject, knowing it won't deter the woman in front of him, but not wanting to say it out loud either.

Eve considers that, poking her food before she leans forward. "Is it because you don't like being touched? Is it a phobia or is it because of germs or something like that?" She asks in a quiet tone.

"Nothing so ordinary, I'm afraid." Damien says as he leans forward slightly as well. "I didn't have an easy upbringing. Touch was never pleasant for me, lets just leave it at that, alright?" He's clearly uncomfortable with the subject, shifting his shoulders as he looks away from her and then over at his food, but he ignores it and just drinks his Earl Grey instead.

"Oh, Damien..." Eve whispers in a sympathetic tone as she looks at the young man, one hand reaching out slightly toward the man, but she pauses and withdraws it. "I'm sorry." S he says quietly. Sure, she may not know the details but she knows whatever it was was bad enough to scar this beautiful young man for life.

"The past is the past." Damien says uncomfortably, shrugging and taking another deep breath. "If you must know, our new 007 is very attractive. I believe you'd like him." The unspoken 'I certainly do' is behind his words, but he avoids looking at Eve now, not wanting to see the pity on her face.

Letting it go as she puts some food in her mouth to buy her time to respond, Eve finally smirks. "I bet he is. He's turned even your head, eh? Well, there's no harm in a bit of eye candy, is there?" She asks playfully with a little smirk as she watches the younger man.

"Indeed." Damien mumbles, then stands. "If you'll excuse me, my hour's up. I have to get back to Q-branch. It was good talking to you." The honesty behind that comment is shocking even to Damien, and he even offers a small smile to Eve before he turns and heads back to work, burying himself there until it's time to go home.


	3. Chapter 3

The next time that Damien sees Bond, months have passed and he had basically forgotten about the agent since he was given several large projects he had to work with some others on. He's working late one evening, finding it easier to push computer updates and work on the servers when there's basically no one around to use them. Standing at his work bench against one wall, another monitor mounted on the wall that he glances up at.

Well aware that he's alone, when Damien feels someone come up behind him, he turns quickly with a box cutter in hand, that being the only sharp object he has on his bench at the moment. A screwdriver really won't do much damage.

Working on instinct, when he sees a blade coming toward him, Bond grabs Damien's wrist, twists and spins the younger man, ending up with him pinned against the edge of the desk with his arm twisted behind his back. Taking the blade from him, 007 takes a deep breath. "Well, that gets the adrenaline going. What the bloody hell were you thinking?" He asks as he takes the box cutter away and closes it up before he leans against the younger man's back a little in order to put it down on the desk.

"Get off me." Damien says in a cold voice, though he was a little surprised that it was not only Bond, but that he was disarmed so easily. He doesn't like giving Bond his back like this, and neither does he enjoy being trapped.

This is not the sort of impression that Bond wanted to make, so he quickly releases the boffin and steps back, turning to retrieve the box he dropped on the floor in order to defend himself. "My apologies. Coming at a double-oh with a weapon triggers survival instincts." He muses as he looks back at Damien with a slight smile. "Lucky this isn't that breakable." The agent notes as he holds out the box toward Damien. Even if the boffin has managed to forget about him, 007 certainly has not forgotten about the mysterious young man who wouldn't even give his name. If anything, the mystery has made him even more unforgettable.

"Perhaps you should consider not sneaking up on people, then." Damien says in a cold tone as he straightens his clothes and rubs his shoulder a little. A small glance is given to the box. "Did you bring me back a souvenir, 007, or is this a piece of equipment I'm going to have to fix?" He as skeptically and with some disdain in his voice.

Shrugging a shoulder unapologetically, Bond pushes the box toward Q again. "Not equipment. I have a feeling that repairing things so mundane would be below your pay grade." He says thoughtfully as he looks at Damien.

Finally giving in to his curiosity, Damien slides the box over, slowly opening it to peek inside. Eyebrows lifting in surprise, the young man looks over at the agent for a moment before pulling out a tin of quality Earl Grey tea, and then a small glass tea pot that appears to be made for loose-leaf tea. "Well." Clearing his throat in surprise, the brunette continues, "Earl Grey, my favorite. You've done your research." He tries for nonchalant, but it's been a while since anyone paid enough attention to something as mundane as what he drinks, to buy him something so thoughtful. In fact, it's been an even longer time since anyone bought him anything at all.

"Not really. When I was in here before to save you from that propeller, I noticed the mug, and the way you smelled of it. That bloody sweater you have on now smells of it. Someone like that really enjoys his Earl Grey." Bond points out, again showing why he is an excellent agent. And that he paid close attention in their last encounter.

The tea is examined for a moment before he places it gingerly back into the box with the teapot. "Thank you, 007. As for repairing equipment, that is part of my job here at Q-branch, and nothing is too mundane. I may not be excited about such work, but it is my job." He states matter-of-factly. "Is that all?" He asks as he glances over at Bond, trying not to pay too much attention to the man. He doesn't want to encourage the double-oh to go digging into his life, or pay any more attention to him than he already is. It'll be bad enough if it gets around that an agent – any agent – is paying special attention to Damien. Still, the gift was thoughtful and he is a bit touched by it. He plans to give that little teapot a prized place in his kitchen at home. Too much of a chance of it getting damaged in this section of Q-branch.

Learning from last time he tried to touch the young boffin, James merely steps a little closer, smiling a little in what is usually perceived as a somewhat seductive way. "Come now, don't be so cold." He says, frustrated that he still doesn't know the younger man's name. "It's late, you should be headed home. At the very least you could thank me by telling me your name. Or better yet you could let me take you out for a drink." 007 drops his voice toward the end, a little suggestively.

Damien glances at the agent beside him, then just snorts as he meets his gaze for a moment. "No." He states succinctly, already knowing that he doesn't want to tell the man his name or go anywhere with him. "Even if I were looking for a relationship, I would not seek something like that at work, much less with an agent. Your lives are dangerous enough. You don't need to be distracted and I don't need the grief." His tone is clipped and even, but there's an undercurrent of real concern there, either for 007's well being, or his own.

"You surprise me. But if you won't go for a drink, why not just tell me your name instead? I could look up your personnel file, but I'd rather hear it from your lips." Bond is enjoying this game, trying to ruffle the young man's feathers at least a little. He's so controlled and self-contained that any sort of reaction he could get out of him would be a triumph on his part.

"No." Damien states again, before he adds, "Only a few are able to access the personnel files, and you are not one of them." He says dismissively as he picks up a few parts and begins to assemble them, leaning over a little to take a better look as he uses a small screwdriver to secure the pieces.

Shaking his head for a few moments and straightening to look at the boffin, his tousled hair, the curve of his neck and the thinness of his shoulders. "Don't worry. I have plenty of time, and more resources than you give me credit for. If you won't tell me, I'll just have to find another way." He says confidently, before he smiles slightly. "I'll wager I'll know it by the time we see each other next."

"20 pounds, then." Damien says without looking up from what he was doing.

"Excuse me?" Bond asks in surprise, having just been using a figure of speech but suddenly Damien is making it so much more interesting.

Straightening after gently putting his project down on the desk, Damien turns slowly to face the slightly taller agent, arching an eyebrow at him. "You heard me. Perhaps Medical should take a look at your hearing." Perhaps it's dangerous to poke a sleeping bear but the young man is a little miffed that Bond comes in here so self-assured, flirting and acting entitled as he is.

Chuckling as he straightens and looks down at the boffin, Bond nods a little. "20 pounds that I'll know your name by the next time we see each other." He agrees as he looks at him. "Good luck." He says as he steps back and then turns away to head toward the door with a slight smirk.

"Let the games begin." Damien says casually before he turns back to his project, casually finishing it as Bond exits the room before he returns to his little closet and computer room, making sure that the personnel files really are secure. Of course, there is always the chance that someone else might tell Bond his name, so the young man sends out an email and physical memo from Q, explaining that questions from Bond about personnel, no matter how inane, are not to be answered. It explains that such information is restricted and the agent has no need of that information, that they are worried the agent might be fixating which might put him in danger on missions.

Perhaps it is a little devious and he realizes that he might get in trouble for it, but the young genius is determined to keep Bond away from the information, not for the money so much, but because he dislikes the arrogance the man has. He's bothersome and no other agents or double-ohs have taken an interest in Q-branch like Bond has. Damien might want to be noticed by M, Q and maybe even R, in order to further his career, he is perfectly content to be unnoticed by everyone else.

~oOo~

It doesn't take long before Q finds out about the memo the next day when another member of Q-branch asks him about it. And from there it's easy for the older man to figure out who had the skill and the desire to send that message, so he heads toward his youngest employee's 'closet' as he's heard it called.

"Damien, may I have a word?" Q asks as he stands in the doorway. "Would you like to explain this?" he asks as he holds out a copy of the memo to the young man.

Glancing up in surprise when his boss enters the room, Damien adjusts his glasses for a moment before he glances down at the paper and he nods. "007 seems quite fixated on me. Specifically in attaining my name, and likely any other information. My personnel files are safe, but people are less predictable than machines. I apologize, Q, but I didn't think his attentions were appropriate, and they are certainly unwanted." He explains, though he doesn't seem all that apologetic as he looks from the paper back to Q. Feeling a little guilty, he finally admits. "And.. I may have bet him 20 pounds that he wouldn't know my name by the time he saw me again.

Q really does try to look disapproving of his subordinate, but he can't help but smile a little. "I see. I'll go along with your memo this time, Damien. But next time if you begin to have trouble with any agents, come to see me first. Bond has ruined quite a bit of equipment so far, and made more work for all of you. So lets hope that you win that bet." He says in a firm tone.

Damien nods a little, ducking his head and looking down at the ground. He's a little embarrassed and he does feel bad about it since Q has been a good boss and is someone that the young man aspires to be. "Of course, sir. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first." he says with a small nod of his head before he looks back up at the older man.

"Yes, well. No harm done this time. Sometimes it's good to put a double-oh in their place. Remember that." Q muses with a smile that says he knows more than he's letting on. Slowly, he turns around and heads back to the main workshop, making sure that everyone understands the seriousness of the memo and that no information is to be given out, even names.

~oOo~

Bond is not happy. When he made the wager with the boffin in Q-branch, he figured that it would be an easy win. Surely he could use his charms to figure it out from people. He never doubted that the files would be as in accessible as the brunette claimed they would be. It seems as if that would be an easy thing for him to assure. The human element was where he thought he had the edge. Unfortunately it seems they are all conspiring against him, refusing to speak of anyone.

Since he has to return to return his equipment anyway, Bond stops by Q's office to figure out the source of Q-branch's rebellion, but also to avoid the R&D department. He hasn't yet been able to get the name he needs and therefore wouldn't win a bet just yet. And he sorely wishes to win.

"Q." Bond says with a slightly fond smile for the older man, stepping forward with a small box that has the remains of his equipment in it.

"Of all the double-ohs, you are the worst with your equipment, Mr. Bond. Why is that?" Q asks as he takes the box from the man and sighs as he sees the state of everything inside..

James smirks a little for a few moments. "I also have the highest success rate. Perhaps there is a correlation there." He says innocently enough. "Your people are vexing me, Q, and I was wondering if you might be able to shed a light onto why. I'm looking for simple information." He says as he looks at the older man skeptically.

Q merely smirks a little with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "Yes, so I've heard. That young man will go far in this place. He has desire and drive. He has a past like all of us and one that I respect." He says as he looks at Bond. "If he does not want to tell you about himself, that is his issue, and not my place to interfere. You should know better, 007. Perhaps you should try not being a blunt weapon for once. Your persuasion techniques are becoming well known. Have you never heard the phrase, 'You'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar'?" He asks curiously as he looks at the older man, looking through the equipment with a slight _tick_ sound of disappointment.

Arching an eyebrow as he listens to his Quartermaster, James smirks a little. "Are you suggesting I use my charms on one of your boffins?" He asks with a bit of amusement, crossing his arms to regard the other man.

"Hardly not. You are too distracting to my entire department." Q's tone is sharp as he looks back at the man. "I suggest you lose your little bet. Yes, I know about that as well." He says when he sees the surprised look from 007. "Not everything has to be done in a day. If you wish for that man to open up and become less of a mystery, then patience is required." He says with a shake of his head, being too old to mince words or play games with his employees or agents.

"Wise as ever, Q." Bond says thoughtfully before he nods. "Something to consider. Good afternoon, Quartermaster." He muses before he turns from the room.

Surely, he finds the young man in Q-branch interesting. And there is nothing that Bond likes more than a mystery, a challenge. There are so few left in his life and missions provide one of the best. But in between there is often not much to occupy his mind which leads to too much drinking and empty liaisons. Or, and overabundance of time in the gym, pool, or shooting range. He's learned that if they see too much of that in MI6 when he is between missions, the psychologists get a bit worried. In truth, outside of Queen and Country he has no overarching reason to be more safe on missions to ensure he comes back to London in one piece.

And yet, lately, this mysterious little boffin has provided him with a diversion he needs when he's in between missions. After his last mission near India, when he saw the little tea shop it was an easy decision to pick up something he thought would please the younger man. And he still feels good about that decision. It's not like he has many friends. Deciding to settle his mind for a while, he heads down to the pool to loosen himself up.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please, let me know what you think.**

 **Reviews/Comments welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

It's not hard for either of them to forget the bet and put it out of their mind, as the terrorists and the like decide to make it busy for a few months. Damien is promoted to R shortly after the new year when he had almost been there for a complete 3 years.

The previous R was a middle-aged man that decided he had had enough of spies and destruction, seeing the worst of the world, and so he retired. And while there are others who have been there longer, it's clear to everyone that no one is more qualified than Damien, who has improved Q-branch quite a bit, as far as safety standards and certain things he came up with. They may have been subtle, and the man might not be a braggart when it comes to taking credit for it, but he's learned the loyalty of quite a few in R&D. After his promotion, he's introduced to the people in the main office that deal more directly with the agents when they're out in the field, more well versed with computers than the creation of gadgets and technology.

"Congratulations!" Eve says as she finds Q in the hall when he is heading out for the day. "I'm glad I found you, R." She says with a broad grin. "I have to admit, I'd rather listen to you during a mission than that old fart." She notes, shaking her head and then grinning. "I am taking you out for drinks tonight, and there will be no argument." She says as she slides her arm through Damien's.

Pleased with his promotion and with the praise such as it is, Damien blushes a little and looks away from her. He's grown closer to Eve, enough that he would consider her a friend, so he tolerates her touch, especially after such exuberance. "Thank you, Moneypenny, but it has been a long day.." he says slowly, trying to get out of the drinks at very least.

Eve shakes her head and smiles. "Nope. I said no arguing, and I meant no arguing. I never see you outside of work, and you need to have a little fun. Besides, we are friends, and friends help each other celebrate. Come on, even you are not as cold as you might seem." She teases as she looks at him, pulling him toward the elevator. "You can listen to all the juicy gossip I've heard over the last few days, and maybe you'll have some of your own. Surely not everyone in Q-branch is as stuff as they seem." She says with a little bit of amusement.

Damien can't help but smile a little at Eve's infectious optimism, and then he sighs. "Well, it seems that I have no choice." He muses, grasping his glasses to lift them back into place. "I am not much a gossip, Miss Moneypenny. But I suppose I could use a drink." He's just glad he left his laptop bag in his office, since he didn't intend to do any work tonight as it is.

"Excellent." Eve says with a broad grin. "Then I know just where to go. Come on." She says as she hails a cab. "It's not just about gossip, Damien. You should be celebrating your promotion." She points out as she hails a cab at the sidewalk out of MI6. "Are you excited? You'll have a lot more responsibility now, and be dealing with agents much more closely." She says with a little smile as she looks at him.

Holding the door for Eve once they get a cab, Damien gets in behind her. "I'm grateful for the promotion. As to dealing with the new people.." he trails off as Eve gives the directions to the driver. "I won't let them intimidate me. They will learn to respect my employees and me." he says in a firm tone, though he would rather the agents disrespect him than the other members of Q-branch. He already knows some of them are going to have issues with his age.

Eve just smiles as she sits back, knowing they have to be careful of their conversation around the cab driver. "You sound very determined. But don't worry. The people you will have to work with might seem like tough guys, but most of it is all show. Just don't be afraid to push back and call them on their crap. Don't let them get under your skin." She says with a small smile. "But I think you've already learned that, and I think you'll be fine." She says with a little smile as she looks at him.

Damien looks out the window for a few moments as he thinks about that. "I have been fairly good at keeping people from digging too much into me or my life." He agrees before he looks back over at Eve. "I may not have the brawn of some of my coworkers but I am not as defenseless as they believe me to be. I've found that sharp words keep people in line just as well as physical threats. Though I will have to talk to someone about the compensation some people in my department are getting, as well as increased safety. The amount of injuries are unacceptable, as is their salaries. If I must, I will drag the department kicking and screaming into the 21st century." He says in a firm tone, obviously already having many plans.

"Oh, you're going to be a force of nature, aren't you?" Eve asks with a bit of amusement, before she continues. "And I've heard that a certain someone has taken an intense interest in you. I still haven't met our mysterious Mr. Bond, but Peters tells me that none of your boffins have given him any information about you. Did you never tell him your name, even?" She asks with a small snicker and a smile.

"No, I did not." Damien says with a small shake of his head. "He is one of the ones whose attitudes are going to have to change. At least he'll have something to call me now, though he'll owe me 20 pounds." He says with a slight smirk. "He's new to his job, obviously arrogant an overconfident. Someone needed to take him down a peg or two, but my boss seems to be too gentle with them. Perhaps he's just too used to what they can be like." He says thoughtfully, brushing his hair back a little.

Laughing a little, Eve pays the cabbie when they get to their destination. "You are either going to have the loyalty of your entire department, I think. And maybe the ire of some others." She says with amusement as she gets out of the cab with Damien, looking around before she puts her arm through his and tugs him toward the pub that she stopped in front of.

Once they're out of the cab, Damien relaxes a little and then he nods. "Yes, the double-ohs or other agents may not be pleased with me, but that's not my job. My job is to ensure their safety and the success of their missions, along with looking after the others in Q-branch." Following Eve toward the pub, Damien considers what he's been thinking about for at least the last year.

"Enough about that, tell me more about Mr. Bond." Eve says with a little grin as she looks at him. "I've heard he's quite the looker." She observes as she peeks at him, trying to figure out which side of the fence he falls on.

One inside, Damien follows Eve over to a table, glancing around the somewhat crowded bar, the music loud enough that conversation is drowned out if you're more than a foot away from a person. "He is quite an attractive man." He allows, never having tried to hide his preferences. "He has a feline grace in the way that he moves. You can tell he's a dangerous man by the way he moves." He says as he glances at her, shrugging out of his parka.

Laughing a little, Eve grins as she looks at Damien. "Almost sounds like you have a bit of a crush, Damien. I didn't know you had it in you." She says with a little smile. "I always thought you wouldn't be interested in anything, romantically or physically, I mean. You just seem so.. self contained." She says as she motions him over with a palm-out.

"I assure you, Miss Moneypenny. Despite any issues that I have, I am, as they say, a red blooded male." Damien says as he looks over at her. "Unfortunately, as attractive as Bond might be, the only thing I can allow myself is to enjoy the view." he says in a rare moment of openness, glancing up when the waitress comes over, and he orders a Jack and Coke, along with a shot of Tequila.

"So we are drinking tonight, huh?" Eve asks with amusement, but she gets a shot of Tequila herself, but gets herself a martini to go with it. When the drinks come back a little bit later, she takes the shot with Damien and then chuckles a little. "You know, if Bond was amenable, there's no regulations saying you couldn't take him for a test drive." She says with a little bit of amusement as she looks at her friend and takes a sip of her martini.

Damien shakes his head a little. "Eve, no." He says in a firm voice that is a bit raw from the bite of the tequila. Clearing his throat, he takes a deep breath and looks into his glass. "I won't even give him that much power over me. As I said, the man is insufferable and feels too entitled about things." Shaking his head for a few moments, he looks back up at Eve. "What about you?" he asks curiously. "Do you have any solid relationships in your life?" he asks as he sits back and attempts to try and relax.

Thinking about her life, Eve shakes her head. "No. I'm still playing the field. Doesn't mean I'm not looking, but it's difficult when my job could take me away for a week or more, at any time of the day. My best bet would be to find someone I work with. But none of them have been solid enough for me, yet." She says as she thinks about it, looking at Damien curiously. "I don't suppose you go both ways?" She asks in a slightly hopeful tone.

Smiling in a rueful way with a slightly sad edge to it, Damien shakes his head. "I'm afraid not, Eve. You've got the wrong bits for me to be interested. The best I can offer you is friendship." he says in a slightly more relaxed, less proper way as he winds down a little. "You are probably the only friend I have at work. Or outside of work, come to think of it."

"That's rather sad, but I am rather honored you consider me a friend." Eve says quietly as she looks at him. "I am going to be a fantastic friend." She reassures as she looks at him. "Even if I have to take one for the team and find out all the juicy, intimate details about Mr. Bond that you want." She says with a mischievous little smile.

Rolling his eyes a little, Damien takes a sip of his drink. "Just let that go, Moneypenny. Please. I try not to think about Bond, and if he survives another year, then it will be slightly surprising. He takes too many risks. And I hear that M is less than pleased with him for the most part. Enough gossip." he says with a slight wave of his hand, looking around the bar. "Shall we find some eye candy here to consider?" he asks as he looks around the room slowly to see if there's even anyone that is worth thinking about.

Moneypenny's eyebrows go up for a few moments as she watches the young man and then she nods. "Yeah, alright. Slim pickings tonight." She says as she looks around. "What about him?" She asks, trying to discreetly point toward someone at the bar as she scoots her chair closer to Damien. "The pale one with red hair."

Damien wrinkles his nose a little and shakes his head. "I think his hair would be too distracting. Never been fond of gingers." He says as he looks around the bar. "Body and face isn't bad though. Looks like he might be a bit of a brawler, though. Look at that nose. Broken at least twice." he points out as he looks over at Moneypenny, lifting his drink to sip at it.

Tilting her head to get a better view at their subject, Eve nods slowly. "Yeah. I can see that now." She then glances at Damien from the corner of her eye. "So are you just particular or just very sure of what you like?" She asks, because she certainly would be flirting with the redhead if she were in the mood for it. Despite the broken nose and possibilities that brings up, she still finds him attractive.

"A bit of both, I suppose. For the most part I think I know what I like. There's always the possibility of it changing, if I see someone I particularly like." Damien thinks about it. And there is always the possibility of something new, such as a man like Bond walking into his life. There was a man he never would have been expected to be attracted to. And yet, he is.

Eve chuckles before sipping her martini. "Well, good on you. Not many of us know what we like until we're face to face with it. I'm glad you're so sure of yourself, Damien." She scans the crowd before she motions. "What about him? Looks like he could be a swimmer, and he's tall." She says as she points to a handsome, brown-haired man sitting at a table with a few other men.

Following Eve's gaze, Damien looks at the man laughing with his friends. "Looks like he should be a model." He observes before he shakes his head. "I suppose he's handsome enough. But I have no immediate desire to shag him." He says thoughtfully before finishing the contents of his glass. "As lovely as this has been, Ms. Moneypenny, I really should be getting home. Early morning tomorrow." And he doesn't want to drink too much and risk a hangover the next morning. He already has a bit of a buzz.

Groaning and leaning her head back a little, Eve pouts slightly. "You are such a lightweight, Damien. Buzzkill." She says with a little shake of her head. "Fine. You go, but I'm staying. I imagine you don't need any help getting home." She says as she looks at him, glancing back at the brunette at the table they were looking at before, and smirking slightly when she catches his gaze.

Rolling his eyes upward, Damien shakes his head. "No, I don't need an escort back home. Goodnight, Moneypenny." He says as he puts down money for his drink and then gets up to head for the door, leaving Eve to her conquests.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Comments/Reviews welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**From here on in (for now), I'll be referring to Damien as R, because of his new promotion. Hope it doesn't confuse anyone, and thanks for reading!**

 **Comments/Reviews welcome!**

* * *

"I hear Congratulations are in order.. R." The smooth voice of a certain 007 says from behind the young boffin, having returned two days after the night of drinking with Eve.

Straightening from where he was standing typing at his laptop, R turns and looks over his shoulder at the agent. "Welcome back, 007. Did you return your equipment in one piece?" He asks with a slightly arched eyebrow as he looks at the man.

Smirking slightly, Bond nods as he watches the brunette. "I did. Are you proud of me?" He asks, before he seemingly remembers something. "Ah, I forget." he says as he pulls out his wallet and takes out a bill to hold it out to R. "Well played."

With a slight smirk, R plucks the bill from Bond's fingers and slips it into his pocket. "Thank you. Glad I didn't have to remind you of our little wager." he says before he turns back to look at his computer. "Returning your equipment in one piece after one reconnaissance mission would not make me proud of you, 007. Continue on this trend, and I will be most impressed." He allows, sounding a little distracted as he taps away on his keyboard for a moment.

"I would never forget something like that, R. At least now I have something to call you besides that floppy haired boffin." Bond points out with a slight smile, resting his hands easily in his pockets in a rather relaxed way.

Giving the agent a sharp glance, R arches an eyebrow. "You should not be asking about me to any extent unless it pertains to work, Bond. And prior to now, you had no reason to deal with me specifically over any other person at Q-branch." Finally, he saves the program he was working on before he turns slightly to regard the slightly taller man. "I should tell you, I will not tolerate you harassing any member of Q-branch. They all have quite a bit of work to do, with 9 double-ohs and various other agents whose welfare they are responsible for safeguarding as best they can." He says in a firm voice, giving about the same speech to every double-oh he's talked to so far.

With slightly raised eyebrows the only outward sign of his surprise, Bond smiles a bit as he looks at R. "Well then. I'll keep that in mind. But as you pointed out, I have no need to be talking to any of them. I'm perfectly content to take any questions or concerns I have to you or Q. Though Q is so very busy lately, and he isn't as young as he used to be. I hope you won't mind if I come to you with any questions or requests?" He asks innocently enough, but he takes a slow step closer to the brunette with a slow smile.

Not backing down, R sighs a little and adjusts his glasses for a moment. "007, while you may have been able to charm yourself through your superiors or your marks, I assure you, I am not going to so easily swayed." he says as he looks at the man. "However, if you have any issues, in a professional capacity, then I will be happy to assist you." He explains with a slight smile as he looks at the older man. "Now. Do step back, Mr. Bond. Before I have to figure out a way to keep you at an appropriate distance. Perhaps something subdural like a dog shock collar." He says in a thoughtful tone, seeming to be seriously considering that, but there's a slight smile of amusement on his face.

Bond seems a little surprised, but then he laughs a little but takes a half step back. "Forgive me, R. We double-ohs always push the limits. I'll try to remember your rules for the future." He says with an amused look that says there is no way he is going to stop pushing this particular envelope. "Anything else I should know, going forward?" He asks curiously as he looks at the younger man.

"Nothing that I can think of, 007. I would appreciate some effort being put into bringing your equipment back in one piece, however." R points out as he glances over at Bond for a moment. "Some of the items we give you are quite specialized and not easy to replace."

"And others are made to be destroyed. It's so hard to tell the difference, sometimes." Bond says dramatically with a little sigh and a small smile as he looks at R for a few moments. He pointedly doesn't make any promises about that though, knowing he will do what he has to do in the field.

R shakes his head slightly, turning back to his computer to type away at something when an alert comes across his screen and he frowns at it. "Then there is nothing further, Mr. Bond. Feel free to disappear to do whatever it is you do when you're not here." He waves one hand a little, shifting his stance in front of the computer before he taps away at the keyboard again.

James only smiles and pulls a small box out of his jacket pocket. "One more thing, R. When I heard about your promotion, I bought you this. I figured you wouldn't have much for your desk yet." He offers as he holds out the blank brown box.

Stopping with his laptop, R looks over at Bond for a moment, and then down at the box. "This won't get you any special treatment you know. People will start to get the wrong idea if you keep giving me things." He says with a shake of his head, but he takes the box and opens it slowly, pulling out the small glass figurine. "A black bird?" He asks, arching an eyebrow.

"A raven." Bond corrects. "Very smart birds. They remind me a bit of you sometimes, the way you look at things with your black hair. They're one of the most intelligent birds. As you the most intelligent person I have met." He says in a quieter tone, yet very serious about it. "Of course, they are also one of the most playful birds I have ever seen. I once saw one in snow, flapping about just to watch the snow fly into the air. At least that was the only thing I could think of. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it other than to amuse itself." he says with a little smile, putting his hands in his pockets again.

Blinking a few times in surprise as R stares at Bond before looking slowly down at the little glass figurine that's so delicately made. "Well. Thank you very much, Bond. It's a beautiful piece." he says before he looks around and puts it down on a part of his desk that he thinks will be safe. "You do have a knack for gift giving it seems. I still enjoy that tea pot you gave me." He says as he thinks about it, nodding as he fidgets with things around his desk to make sure the figurine will be secure, before he goes back to typing on his computer.

Not touching R, yet still moving a little closer, Bond leans over his shoulder so he can speak closer to his ear. "I'm glad you enjoy it. And you're very welcome, R. If you ever need anything else, please say so." He smiles a little, before he withdraws without noticing the shiver that goes down R's spine. Turning toward the door, 007 just smirks a little to himself as he decides to go down to the pool for a time, enjoying his small victories.

~oOo~

Despite any objections he might have had, whenever R looks at the little raven figurine, he smiles a little, and is rather pleased with the day. He's already put some other plans into motion and talked to Q a day ago. So when R gets called up to M's office, it's not a complete surprise. He picks up his folder of paperwork and then heads up to M's office, nodding to the secretary as he heads through into the office. "M." He greets with a nod as he moves over to one of the chairs in front of her desk.

M looks up and smiles a little. "Mr. Brown.. or I suppose it's R now, isn't it? I've heard from Q that you wanted a meeting with me, regarding Q-branch. I've heard you've been doing good things down there." She says as she goes to a side table to pour two cups of tea before bringing one over to R.

Nodding a little and putting his folder down on his lap, R watches the older woman. "Yes, I've been enjoying my work, and am grateful for the opportunity this promotion provides me, but as I was looking over some figures and helping Q with budgets for next year, I discovered something rather disturbing." He admits, before taking the cup. "Oh. Thank you."

Returning to her desk with her tea, M looks at the young man curiously for a few moments. "Well, I'll be very interested to hear this. Please, go on." She says in a dry tone, which makes it hard to tell if she's actually interested, or if she thinks he's just another young upstart trying to make a name for himself.

Nodding and taking a small sip of his tea, R places the cup and saucer on the edge of M's desk before he gets up and turns to his folder. "I noticed that many positions in Q-branch, from R&D up to Field Assistance, have not had any change in salary for almost thirty years. Despite the fact that more and more is expected of us. We not only have to maintain the security of MI6, but we are tasked with outfitting nine double-ohs and two dozen other agents. We are also responsible for hacking, intelligence gathering, guiding the agents through difficult situations with the aid of satellites, CCTV, and building schematics we largely obtain ourselves. I don't mind so much for myself, but if we want to attract a younger generation which will be more efficient with upcoming technologies who might think outside the box and save agents from horrible deaths, then we need to be able to compensate them fairly." He explains, placing papers in front of M that illustrate his points, from the rise in responsibilities, to what the average wage was in the 70's and 80's versus living costs, and how they compare now to the average living cost. "If we don't do this soon, we will start losing some real talent, without the ability to attract any newer talent. Unless you want to start perusing criminal records for people with the requisite skills." He points out with a slight smile before adjusting his glasses.

Rather surprised at how organized and well thought out this presentation is, M looks through the papers as she listens to R's argument, considering everything as she sits back to look at him. "I was reluctant even to hire you with your criminal past. And while you have obviously worked out rather well, I don't think I would want to attempt to repeat that, no." She says as she thinks about it. "I imagine you have a number in mind?" She asks curiously with eyebrows going up.

Presenting M with another sheet of paper, R nods a little. "There are three figures here, each of which represent base salaries for people hiring into IT jobs. As you can see, there is a range, and the higher one is obviously one that would require more experience and knowledge than the lower. However, as you can see, that combined with the health package they already have access to, which is rather impressive I admit, would be a large improvement over what they might be paid now. Taking into account the occasional overtime, the second sheet there calculates the average yearly cost increase for the current Q-branch staff. I would also suggest we hire another five who are more computer savvy, before the end of the year. A three person team at the very least should be keeping an eye on local security." he says as he thinks about it, taking a deep breath as he watches her, trying to get a read on what M might be thinking. He knows it might be a big jump, but he also believes it's worth it, and since talking to some other members of Q-branch he's discovered a few have thought about going into the private sector.

M looks at the numbers, eyebrows going up for a few moments. "You make a very good argument, R. And you've done your research. I'll include these numbers with the rest of the budget and we'll see where we go. Be prepared, you may have to explain yourself to our oversight committee. However, given how prepared you were for this presentation, I have a feeling you will get what you're looking for." She says before she stands. "I'm very impressed. Continue like this, and I am sure that Q will definitely be looking to you for his replacement when he retires. If he retires. I think he's more stubborn than I am." She says with a slightly fond smile. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Back to work with you now." She says as she gathers the papers up and holds her hand out for the folder, which R relinquishes.

Nodding his head a little and feeling so relieved he's almost giddy, R smiles and takes a step backwards. "I am willing to do whatever is necessary. Thank you, ma'am." He says before he turns and heads out the door, knowing a dismissal when he hears it. He heads back down to Q-branch and his desk, swaying a little when he gets there, his relief combined with the fact he was too nervous to eat earlier, makes him a bit dizzy.

Putting a strong arm around R's waist, Bond seemingly appears out of nowhere to steady the younger man. "Are you alright, R?" He asks as he looks at him, never having seen the man anything less than completely composed.

Straightening and stiffening at the touch, but not completely rejecting it like he might have previous times, R glances at Bond. "I'm afraid I skipped lunch, I was a bit too nervous about a meeting with M to eat anything. I'm regretting that, presently." He says as he puts his palms flat against his desk and leans over onto them for a moment, a few others looking at him with concern as well.

"Come on, then. We'll get you down to the cafeteria and get something other than tea in your stomach." Bond says with concern as he pulls back but keeps one hand gently around R's bicep in order to help steady him.

"Yes, thank you. I believe that would be best." R agrees with a small nod of his head, glancing at the person nearest to him. "Message my cellphone if you need me. I'll be in the cafeteria." He says with a nod of his head.

"Yes, sir." The young man says solemnly as he looks up from his computer to watch R with concern as the two men move toward the door, before he turns back to his work.


	6. Chapter 6

Mercifully once R was seated with food in front of him, Bond left him alone, and for the next few days the young boffin didn't see him. He wasn't the one to outfit the agent with his kit for the mission, but when things start to go sideways, it is R that takes over, putting an earpiece in."007, do you copy?" He asks as he looks around at the screens and arranges the things where he needs them.

"I'm here, R." Bond responds in a more tightly clipped tone. "I'm right outside the facility." He explains, the gravel crunching under his feet as he crouches down beside a box.

"Ah. There you are." R says as he sees him on a satellite he hacks into. "Give us a moment, and I'll set the cameras on a loop so you won't have to worry about them." He says as he works his computer, code flying across the screen on one side. "Right. Guards have just crossed, head to your one o'clock to the entrance there. The key card you were provided should get you through that door." He explains in a professional tone as keeps one eye on the video in front of him.

"Right." Bond says, ducking down and darting across the field that is between him and the building, glancing around before inserting the card. "I underestimated Q-branch. Quite a good bit of tech." He says as he considers the card, tucking it back into his pocket before taking out his gun.

Watching the camera feed he interrupted in order to make it clear for Bond, R looks around for a moment. "Yes, surprisingly we do know what we're doing here." He says dryly. "Alright. Straight ahead if you please."

"Well, if you're going to ask so nicely." Bond says dryly before he heads forward as he's commanded. "I do hope you plan on being in my ear for all my missions. Tell me, will you be listening to _everything_?" He asks in a flirtatious, playful way.

R snorts a little and shakes his head with a sigh. "No, Bond. If you are referring to your extracurricular activities, I will not be listening to that. I have no desire to hear you seduce anyone." He says in a firm tone, perhaps slightly jealous, but definitely annoyed.

"Pity. I'm sure you could help me with my... technique." Bond continues to flirt as he heads up a few stairs and looks around, pausing when he comes to a T in the hallways.

"Shut up, 007, before you attract the guards. Honestly, how do you ever get through missions?" R mutters, shaking his head as he brings himself back to the job at hand. "Take a right, it's your second door on the left. Once inside that room, there's what will look like a closet to the right. Do stay away from the windows." He warns, settling himself again with a small shifting of his shoulders.

Doing as he's told, the agent slips into the room and goes over to the 'closet', using his key card to get into it. It turns out to be a highly sophisticated server room. Finding the access via a fold out laptop, he boots it up and then puts in the USB drive as he was instructed by Q to do before he left.

"Good. The USB drive will start transmitting information back to us shortly. Time to finish up, then. Destroy the key pad on your way out. We'll destroy the servers remotely after we have the data we need." R pauses as he looks at the screens as he waits for Bond to do as he says. "Wait." He says when he sees Bond about to enter the hallway where a guard is about to cross. "Security. He'll be passing your door in ten seconds, another twenty and he'll be gone."

Bond is getting a little impatient however and he is used to doing things his won way. "Thank you, R." He says before he steps back, counts silently and then kicks the door out and into the guard's face, quickly snapping his neck afterward.

"Bond! That was not necessary!" R says in shock and a little anger just because he had given Bond a better way, an easier way but was completely ignored.

"I've been on many missions, and when you need to buy time, you make yourself a target." Bond says before he heads back through the building toward his secondary target, taking out a few more security guards after a few moments of scuffling, but he manages to keep them from raising the general alarm.

"007! Bond! You are completely off mission!" R nearly yells as he watches what is happening on the screen, frustrated and annoyed that he is being ignored.

Pausing in one of the hallways, Bond looks straight up at the camera and smiles a little. "Thanks for your help, R. I'll take it from here. No need for you to see this part of the job." He says before he lifts a hand and touches his ear gently.

"007! Bond!" R yells again, "Oh, you bloody buggering idiot! He's turned off his earpiece! Somebody find me a better schematic of the building and the grounds around it, anything that I can use!" He yells without taking his eyes off the screen as he switches views on the cameras to follow Bond throughout the facility, muttering to himself about arrogant agents with a death wish.

A part of R is a bit impressed as he watches Bond take down goon after goon, and it's not like he felt a lot of sympathy for those men involved because they had all surely done evil things in the name of the terrorist group that they worked for. The fact that it just wasn't necessary is what gets under R's skin and makes him more annoyed than anything. Yes, Bond will no doubt achieve his objective, but it could have been so much more clean, more surgical.

"Do we have the information from the hard drives yet?" R demands as he glances behind him at the room, things popping up on his screens as the employees send him building schematics and infrared satellite images.

"Two minutes, sir! It took longer than expected because of inadequate bandwidth." A woman calls from the middle desk to R's right. Her name was Beth, excellent with coding and gathering information. She had a stay-at-home husband and a young son, R recalled.

"Thank you, Beth. Let me know when it's complete." R says as he looks across the screens, locking a few of the doors where Bond is to keep him going in the right direction and keeping others from getting to him. He may not be able to talk to the agent anymore, but he can certainly still help him. He won't be shut out so easily, and he will certainly give 007 a piece of his mind when he gets back.

"Sir! The download has finished, I'm initiating the destruct program now." Beth says as she taps a few keys, bringing up the image of the server room in one of R's smaller screens, showing the server starting to overload, spark, explode and catch on fire, the USB stick itself exploding from the laptop and taking a big chunk of the laptop with it.

"Good job, Beth. Tell Barry and the boys how impressed I am with that device. Completely destroyed it after delivering its worm. Excellent." R praises, feeling a certain pride in his team as he sees how well their tech works in the field. But he doesn't have much time to focus on that as he finishes doing what he can to guide Bond out of the facility after he takes own a few key members of the terrorist wing that had been meeting there this night.

R is just starting to relax when Bond exits the building, when suddenly an explosion shows up on his screen, the whole second floor seeming to blow out at once. "Bloody hell! What was that?" He demands, trying to see what he might have missed.

"Sir, it seems like Bond triggered some sort of failsafe. There are explosives on the lower floor that aren't there in any schematics or scans that we were able to get, they must be a new addition. Perhaps they knew someone was coming for them, they just set it off a little too soon, or too late. They killed a lot of their own men." Derek stood up to tell his boss, normally sitting at the desk just behind and to the left of R. He looked rather shocked at what happened as well, but he was always quick with analysis and was very good with explosives.

"Do we have eyes on Bond? Anyone? Get me some sort of visual!" R demands as he dismisses a few of his screens now that they're no longer needed. Infrared scans are doing nothing right now as the building is burning too hot for them to see anything withing a few hundred feet of the building, and standard satellite images aren't doing much better.

"Sir! I found him!" Derek says, sending the image to the screen of Bond getting into his car, seeming to favor one shoulder until he jams it against the door, perhaps re-setting a dislocation of his shoulder. Afterwards he rests for a moment before starting the car and driving off.

Sighing a little and then relaxing, R takes the headset off and drops it on his table as he leans heavily on his arms. "Thank you, Derek. Good job. Get to work on that information immediately. Make sure Bond shows up to his rendezvous and gets on his plane. Alert Medical that he'll need to be checked out when he comes in." He orders before he rolls his head a little to relax the muscles there. "I'm going to head down to the cafeteria to get some tea and perhaps a slice of cake, after that." He grumbles a little, but it gets some sympathetic and nervous laughter before R turns and heads off out of the room to walk off some of his nerves.

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, I hope you like it. Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter, but I wanted to write a sort of 'first mission' that the future Q and Bond have together. Thanks for reading!**

 **Reviews/Comments welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

R glances up from his desk when a small alert sounds from his laptop, a small box popping up in the corner telling him that 007 has used his entry code to return to the building. It's been over 24 hours since the incident where Bond locked him out and while he had managed to push it out of his mind, the entire thing comes back when he sees the alert. "Derek, watch Q-branch for a bit, I have someone I have to deal with." He says in a firm tone, before he turns on his heel and leaves the room to go find Bond. Assuming the man will have gone to Medical for once in his ever-loving life, Q heads that way first.

Upon entering medical, R sees the agent in question already removing his jacket, seeming to be moving with a bit of stiffness. At the moment however, that does not dissuade the boffin from his current course of action.

As R moves closer, 007 turns to glance at him and just smiles casually like he didn't almost get blown up. "Visiting me in medical now, R? I didn't know you cared so much. I assure you, I'm fine." he reassures in his usual casual, playful tones, apparently not interpreting the look on the younger man's face.

"You unbelievable, bloody bastard!" R says in a slightly raised voice as he moves closer to the agent. With hands already balled into fists, he brings one up and punches Bond as hard as he can. At least he knows how to throw a punch without breaking his hand. But still, afterwards, he shakes his hand and continues his rant. "I am going to take out the bloody 'off' button to those ear pieces. You could have put the entire mission in danger with your cowboy antics. As it is, you almost got yourself blown to hell, and if I hadn't been watching to disrupt communications, someone else probably would have known exactly who was coming after them! It was supposed to be a covert mission, 007. Or have all the explosions over the years wiped the definition from your tiny little brain?!" His voice raises a little more, and even the nurses are looking at him in surprise.

Caught off-guard by the physical attack from R, and even more by the fact that it was a decent punch, James manages to stay on his feet, but then he straightens, rubbing his jaw a little. "Impressive right hook, R." He says dryly as he listens to the rant from the young man. His eyebrows go up as he listens to everything, not having realized a few of his points, because frankly he's used to working alone without any backup or assistance. This assistance from Q-branch is rather a new thing for all of them. "You have some valid points there, R." he says reluctantly as he looks at the brunette, smirking a little because he also very much wants to shove the man against the wall an snog him senseless right now.

As it is, after R stops yelling, Bond steps closer to him slowly, "You should be careful with your hands though, R. We can hardly afford for you to break one of those skilled fingers." He reaches out to take R's hand, examining it gently and brushing his thumb over the knuckles before lifting it to kiss the same knuckles.

"What are you – stop that." R says in surprise, trying to pull his hand back, but the agent holds it fast for a few moments longer. His anger sort of deflates since he was expecting an argument, not charm.

"You make a good argument, R, and I apologize. I hadn't realize that you would be so concerned about me." James says as he uses his hold on R's hand to keep him in place as he moves closer, crowding his personal space. With some smugness, he notices that the young brunette doesn't seem to care that he's being touched by Bond at the moment. "I'm used to being on my own in the field, that's how I've always operated. I'm still not used to having anyone in my ear during missions." He says smoothly before he lowers his voice so the blushing and tittering nurses can't hear him. "Perhaps we should spend more time together so I get used to your voice ordering me around."

While R is used to hearing Bond flirt some and be generally playful with his banter, he has never quite been under the full force of the agent's charm. Which is more effective because in his anger, R had let down quite a few of his shields. His eyes widen slightly and a blush creeps up his neck, turning his ears a light shade of pink even. R is at a loss for words as he opens his mouth and nothing happens, so he clears his throat, gathers his thoughts, and tries again while he pulls his hand away from Bond a little more forcefully and takes a step back. "While I do appreciate the apology, 007, you are being wildly inappropriate at the moment." He says in a firm tone, turning slightly when he takes another step back to avoid a bed that was in his way, but his eyes widen as he finds himself pursued step by step by Bond. He also notices that some of the medical staff is dispersing and finding other things to do.

"Inappropriate? Perhaps sometimes, but not as much in this case, I don't think." James says in a quiet tone as he looks at Q, herding him toward a wall somewhat so that he can maybe talk to the boffin without him running away. The tension in the air is nearly palpable, and he knows only one way to help with that.

"Yes, definitely in this case, Bond." R tries a firmer, colder tone as he glares at him, but still steps backwards in an effort to get him out of his personal space. No matter his personal feelings or the fact that the adrenaline dump into his system from the anger is fading, leaving behind a electric feeling just beneath his skin and some very unexpected yearnings as he looks at the slightly rumpled Bond. "You cannot just treat me like one of your marks. I am not someone you can play with and then discard, Bond. And I will not be treated as such. I am an employee of Q-branch, second only to Q himself, and it is my duty to keep you alive in the field." He pauses, then hurriedly corrects himself. "You and all the other agents at MI6. A professional relationship is all I require of you."

Bond chuckles a little as he watches R, placing his hands on the wall on either side of the boffin, a bit amused at the clearly startled look when his back hits it. Tilting his head to the side, James just leans on his hands. "That may be all you _require_ from me, but it's not all you _want_ from me, R. I'm not a blind. And I have never treated you like a mark, you're much more interesting and much more important." He reassures, straightening up a little so he might not seem as menacing, leaning over R. He keeps his hands where they are though, so that the other man can't run away. "Why don't we have an honest conversation, R, hmm?" He asks with a little smile.

Blinking a few times in surprise when his back hits the wall, R stares at Bond for a few moments and glances around, trying to see if there's a way for him to escape since he doesn't like being trapped. Unfortunately there are hospital beds on either side of them, and the only real escape route is through Bond. "Fine. I will stay and have a conversation with you, but you have to back off, Bond. I.. very much dislike being trapped." He says nervously, knowing the man wouldn't actually hurt him, but it doesn't stop his slight panic at being trapped. James would definitely seduce R given half the chance, the boffin is quite sure of that. But certainly not harm. Despite the fact that he hit the agent.

Watching R closely for a few moments, Bond nods a little and he drops his arms, taking a slow step back to give the man some breathing room. "Alright.." he notes as he watches him. "You don't mind touch as much as you let everyone believe, do you?" he asks, turning a little to jerk the curtain closed around the area they're in to keep out prying eyes before he turns to the young man in front of him.

Taking a few deep breaths and running one hand through his hair, R nods a little. "Everyone here has a story, Bond. Mine is no better than anyone else's. My childhood was not good. I just prefer my space. I don't like people getting overly familiar." He explains as he looks at the older man for a few moments. "It's different when I can anticipate it, when I know what to expect." He says as he watches Bond, turning his head away from him for a moments to stare at one of the hospital beds.

Considering for a few moments, Bond lifts his hand and brushes his hand across R's cheek for a moment. "Well, I think you should get used to me invading your space, R." He says with a slight smirk. "I'm not giving up on you any time soon. I will figure you out." He muses with amusement. "But here's a little preview." He says as he lays his hand flat against R's cheek, turning the younger man's head more toward him before he leans in but giving R time to stop him if he really doesn't want this.

This is absolutely a horrible idea, R tells himself as he allows his head to be turned back and he looks at the agent. All he can hear is his heart pounding in his ears, his mind blanking when he sees the agent leaning closer, knowing immediately what he intends. And for the first time in a very long time, he doesn't want to do the wrong thing. He wants to do something that could be very, very bad.

With a slow smile, Bond pauses before their lips touch, watching him before he bridges the gap, shifting a little closer to the younger man. He doesn't rush the kiss, knowing that when it comes to R, he has to persuade, not overpower. The kiss remains a slow and sensual slide of his lips against the boffin's while James keeps one hand on the side of R's head, the other lightly brushing his hip but he doesn't press forward.

R very nearly groans into the kiss, because it feels nearly perfect. After placing one hand on Bond's bicep, he tilts his head slightly as he lets the kiss linger, but after a minute or two, he lifts up his free hand and presses it against Bond's chest to push at him while simultaneously starts to pull his head back.

Never having been one to force himself on anyone, Bond gently breaks the kiss and licks his lips a little before he moves back further to give R his space. "Bloody hell, R.. If you don't think I have self control after this, you're not nearly as smart as you think." he says before he clears his throat a little. And runs a hand through his hair. "I'll be up to Q-branch later to return my kit. I've been told I was almost blown up, so I'd better let the blood suckers take a look at me." Looking over R one more time slowly, Bond finally turns and steps out of the curtains while keeping them closed to give R a few moments of privacy.

Panting a little after the kiss, R leans back against the wall for support. Well, that is enough to give him fantasies for months. Licking his lips slowly, he swallows and brushes his fingers over his lips before shaking his head hard. Even if Bond is a bloody brilliant kisser, he cannot allow himself to be swayed by the agent. With a firm nod and a straightening of his shoulders, the young man slips out of Medical hopefully without being noticed and returns to his domain. "Update." he says as he glances around at the members of Q-branch, trying to get back into his rhythm and forget about the incredibly good looking, sexy and a man he could spend hours snogging. Yes, he determines, must put that aside.

* * *

 **Sooo... I forgot how far apart Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace were from Skyfall. I was intending this to be closer to Skyfall. Because lets face it. We all want Q to be Q. :D I'll figure it out, but I just wanted to clarify. I hope you're all enjoying this! I kind of love when James pushes things a bit and takes control. Thank you to everyone who is reading!**

 **Reviews/Comments welcome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning: I have changed the rating from T to M as of this chapter, just because of the way I see things going. I'm probably never going to be explicit, but I don't want to have to watch my rating. :) Thanks for reading!**

 **Reviews/Comments welcome!**

* * *

007 has completely ruined R's day. He has been trying very hard to focus on his work, but he can't keep that kiss out of his head, or keep himself from glancing up every time the door opens to see if it's Bond coming in. After a few hours of his nerves being strung out, R turns to Derek and says, "I'm going to go down to the firing range and test out one of the guns that R&D told me about." Since it's a slow day in Q-branch, there is no reason for him not to escape for an hour or so into mindless violence.

R is glad to see that the gun that he wants is already near the firing range. This isn't something mindless that will let his mind go off on some tangent, he actually has to pay attention so he won't kill himself. Humming some mindless tune to himself, he puts on his ear protection and safety glasses over his own glasses before he steps up and fires the gun a few times, only to frown at the results.

Clearly, he is not the best shot in the world on a good day, but R can usually hit what he's aiming for. Unfortunately this prototype seems to be pulling to the right somewhat, he discovers, as he tries to compensate by aiming slightly to the left, seeing his aim improve. Well, that just won't do.

After taking the clip out of the gun, R looks down at his clipboard to make a few notes on the file , trying not to pay attention to much around him. That is the point of him being down here, after all. Seeing as he's in his own little world, he doesn't notice anyone walking up until they're there.

"Not bad, R, not bad at all!" Bond says loud enough for the younger man to hear, having gone to return his kit only to be told that the boffin was down here shooting guns. Which surprised him a bit, he always thought of R as more of a nonviolent type.

Startling hard, R hunches his shoulders in before he whirls to face the double-oh with wide eyes, giving a very good startled, deer-in-the-headlights type of look. While trying to get his heart rate under control, he removes his eye and ear protection with now trembling hands. "007, it is not a good idea to sneak up on someone at the firing range." He says in a calm, cold tone. He's more than a little annoyed at the agent tracking him down or sneaking up on him. Though once he glances at his watch he realizes that he's been there for over an hour between his initial inspection of the gun, his test firing and all else.

"Apologies, R." James says with a certain amount of smugness as he watches the younger man. "You should be glad to know that besides a bit of bruising, I've been declared fit." He shrugs slightly, then watches Q as he adds suggestively, "Apparently I might be stiff for a while though."

Cursing his fair complexion, R turns away when he feels his cheeks start to heat at all the awful – and wonderful – images that sentence conjures. Luckily he has something to occupy himself with as he starts to pack the gun back up into the case and brings the target paper in for him to replace. "That's good." he says a little curtly, not knowing what else to say to that.

Deciding to take control of this situation, Bond moves up closer behind R, his front just brushing the brunette's back. Leaning in, he drops his voice a little. "R.. am I distracting you?"

Trying very hard not to react to the proximity and glad that the agent can't hear his pounding heart, R takes a deep breath to steady himself, though his hands still tremble. "Not at all, 007. Some of us merely have work to do." He tries to sound indifferent, or annoyed even, but after they crossed that line with the kiss earlier, it is much harder for him to maintain distance.

Chuckling for a few moments, Bond watches R, but doesn't move from where he was. "You are very good at lying to yourself, R." He muses, finally lifting one hand to trail his fingers down over R's arm for a moment. "But I have a feeling you've been thinking as much about our kiss as I have." He adds, watching the goosebumps rise along R's neck with a satisfied smirk.

Allowing himself to be somewhat seduced for a moment, R takes a deep breath and closes his eyes briefly, then finishes closing the gun case. "Whether or not I lie to myself is my business, 007." he says in a firm tone, before he shifts and turns a little, slipping by Bond with his clipboard and the gun case. "As I said, I have work to do, and I would appreciate being left alone to do it. You can return your kit to Derek. I'm afraid I no longer have time for your antics." He says in a firm tone as he glances back at James once before he turns to walk away.

Bond chooses not to pursue, and instead just smirks a little. Yes, R's words may be cold and may be exactly what they should be, but his body spoke otherwise. He just needs to convince that wonderfully brilliant mind of R's that the spark between them could be a wondrous inferno.

R makes it most of the way back to his office before he ducks into the men's room and to a sink where he can splash some cold water on his face and put a cool cloth on the back of his neck. He closes his eyes, shaking his head for a moment as he tries to calm his hormones. "Bloody hell.." He mutters, not having felt like this since he was a teenager and discovered movies like 300 and shows like Spartacus which certainly gave R an appreciation for muscular men.

After drying his face, R looks at himself in the mirror and shakes his head slowly at his reflection. "Get yourself under control." He mutters to himself since he's fairly sure he's the only one in the room. Finally, he takes a deep breath and turns to go out and back toward his office. At least anyone seeing him come out might not think anything is amiss. He is human after all.

"Send this report to R&D, there are some serious issues with their prototype that need to be worked out. Can't have a gun that has a skew to the right." R says as he comes into the room and hands the report off to Derek. "If 007 comes in, take his kit, but I'll be in the workshop. I'm not to be disturbed." he says in a firm tone before he walks toward the small room that he made into his workshop, for any personal or sensitive projects that he might have. If he can't force the agent out of his mind, he will work until his mind is clear.


	9. Chapter 9

Managing to escape that evening without seeing Bond again, R sighs as he makes it out of the building and looks up at the dark sky for a moment, a little bit of a London drizzle coming down. He really feels like he needs a drink after this day. For a moment, he considers calling Moneypenny, but he's not sure what she would think and whether or not he wants to actually gossip about his day.

Deciding to go home and drink, the young man turns to head down the street, knowing there is a shop nearby where he can get something to take home. Even if he'll have to take the tube home. Even though it's a decent hour of night, he glances down at his phone as it pings, answering the message and a few emails with some quick taps as he walks down the sidewalk, shaking his head a little in exasperation at some of the questions he's actually getting.

Looking up when he reaches an intersection, he makes sure that it's alright to go before he heads across the screen, only to jump back when he hears the horn of a car that runs the light. Stumbling back onto the sidewalk, R takes a few deep breaths to settle his heart and try to clear his head. Shaking his head a little, he makes sure the road is really clear this time before he heads across the street and toward the shop. Still feeling the buzz of adrenaline, R looks down at his phone for a moment before boldly sending a text.

 _Lets get something straight. The kiss was bloody glorious. Probably haunt my dreams for a while. But I don't currently want a relationship, but less a friend with benefits. And for a one-night stand, I certainly would not choose someone I work with. I would appreciate professionalism. -R_

Tucking his phone into his pocket, R heads into the ship near his tube station, getting himself some alcohol and something to eat. He pays just as he feels his phone vibrate and ping, thanking the clerk before he heads out and toward the tube as he opens his phone and reads the short, succinct message.

 _Your loss. Understood. If you change your mind.. -James_

It's a bit depressing that Bond gives up so easily, but R is also relieved it will be that easy and that the agent understands. Tucking his phone away, he slides his card at the station before he makes his way to the platform and then onto the tube as he thinks about the day.

There are always times in life where people might rethink their decisions, and even R has doubts about his recent decision. The little devil on his shoulder asks if it really would be so bad if he gave into Bond, used him like he uses others. Even the boffin has certain desires and needs, and he is fairly sure that the older agent would be very good at fulfilling those needs. Shaking his head firmly, R grabs onto one of the rails, preferring to stand at the moment. No, he decides, he made the right choice. If he ever wants to revisit it, he is fairly sure the agent will be game.

The decision made, everything settles back into place for the young boffin, and he turns his thoughts onto what film he might watch or game he might play when he gets home, something to relax him.

Then the lights flicker. Screeching sounds. And R's world turns upside down before it goes silent.

~oOo~

"I wonder where she's going." Bond muses the next day when he sees Moneypenny fairly running through the building, before he looks over at Villiers, his handler in some ways.

Looking at the agent in surprise, Villiers' eyebrows go up. "You didn't hear?" He asks, since most of the building had heard by now. "You know that big accident on the tube last night?" He asks, waiting for confirmation from the agent. "The second in command from Q-branch, R, was on it. He was heading home. He had some rather troubling injuries from what I heard. Though his head and hands are fine, so I imagine he'll recover." He say with a smirk and a bit of amusement.

Controlling his expressions and his impulses are what makes him a good agent, and Bond calls on all of that strength now just to show a bit of surprise and not to go chasing after the woman he saw run through the halls. "That's too bad. I was just talking to him yesterday. Do they think he'll recover?" he asks as he looks at Villiers curiously for a few moments.

A small nod is given. "Mm. I should think so." Villiers digs around his desk for a moment before he comes up with a folder. "Your next assignment, Bond. You'll have another agent with you. We need intelligence, and to capture the man." He says as he looks at him. "You'll need to report to Q this evening for your kit. You're leaving tonight." he says with a nod to the agent, not seeming concerned with R at the moment.

With a firm nod of his head, Bond takes the folder and then turns to leave, knowing that he needs to do something before anything else. It takes an hour or two, but Bond finds out where R is being treated, before he sneaks in after finding that the young man is asleep. While it is visiting hours, he doesn't want anyone else to know he's there.

For a moment, all Bond can do is stare at the young man on the bed who looks more pale and frail than he remembers him being just yesterday. One leg is in a cast and raised up by the ankle, his same shoulder in a sling. It looks like he was slammed sideways against something from the way his wounds are distributed along one side. Probably standing when the train crashed, if the agent had to guess. It looks like there's a cut across his forehead that's been bandaged, and others can be seen along his arms and neck, but true to what Villiers said, there doesn't seem to be any serious damage to his head or hands, which makes the older man smile a little.

Satisfied now that he's seen the young man for himself, he puts a small gift bag with a tin of Earl Grey inside, attached to a 'Get Well' balloon, on the table beside R's bed. There's no card, no indication it's from him, he just hopes the brunette understands when he wakes up. "You're going to have a bloody scar." He says with a slight smirk as he reaches out to brush R's hair off his forehead a little, and away from the bandage.

Shaking his head for a moment 007 steps back from the bed and clears his mind. This man wants nothing more than a professional relationship from him, and that's what he's going to get. He's a double-oh, and he has a mission. There's no room for anything else right now.

With a firm nod of his head, Bond turns and walks out the door, not looking back as he prepares himself for the mission ahead. He'll be partnered with what equates with a rookie agent, and he needs to get his kit and get on a flight to Madagascar.

~oOo~

When R wakes up, he feels a little floaty, and then he aches, but when he tries to move it increases the pain, causing him to stop and groan slightly.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake." Eve says from beside the bed, reaching out and putting her hand over his gently. "Try not to move." She says before she gets up to get him some water, knowing that he may find it hard to speak.

"What.. happened?" R asks as he opens his eyes and takes in the hospital room and the few balloons and flower arrangements that are there. When Eve comes over with the cup of water with the straw, R lifts his arm and takes it from her to take a slow drink, before he take stock of himself. He notices the cuts, the sling, the leg. Finally, his attention turns back to Moneypenny.

"There was an accident on the tube. Your train jumped its tracks. They're still investigating. You're lucky. You don't have any permanent damage. You broke your leg, but it'll heal just fine, the doctors said." Eve reassures as she looks at him, trying to figure out what kind of state of mine he's in. "Q-branch has sent you some cards, and such. They didn't know if you even liked flowers or anything." She says as she motions around at the gifts. "You've got quite a loyal crew there. There was a.. Derek, who said he would keep things running until you can come back." She adds with some amusement, taking the younger man's cup back from him and sets it on the side table. "Not sure who this is from though. I went out to make a few calls and when I came back it was here." She says as she pokes the bag, before she looks inside. "Earl Grey." She says with a snicker.

"Ah." R says, knowing where that one comes from and he smiles. "They only like me because I got them all raises." He half-jokes with a small smile as he looks at the ceiling. "How long do I have to stay here?" He asks as he looks over at Moneypenny.

Eve shifts a little for a few moments. "A month. Maybe two. Depends on how your leg heals, and then you might have rehab for it.." She trails off as she looks back at her friend. "But you'll be able to work from home." She reassures quickly as she sees the look on R's face.

Glaring at the cast on his leg where it's elevated, R finally looks back over at Moneypenny. "They're not going to want me to take the Tube after this, are they?" He grumbles a little, knowing that MI6 tends to be overprotective of those in higher positions which they deem valuable, especially those who have access to delicate intelligence, like those in Q-branch.

"Probably not." Eve agrees with a small nod of her head and an apologetic smile. "Look on the bright side, you'll get home a bit faster." She reassures before she sighs. "Is there anything that I can get you? I need to be getting back now that you're awake, but I thought someone should be here when you woke up." She watches him sympathetically, and with a bit of regret because she wishes she could stay longer.

Looking around the rather bland room for a moment, R sighs. "My laptop. And the remote." he says as he looks up at the TV which is currently off. At least he gets his own room, thanks to MI6 no doubt.

Eve smiles as she picks up the remote from the table and hands it to him, "There you go. I'll make sure someone brings your laptop by." She says before she stands, lightly ruffling his hair before kissing the top of his head. "Get some rest." She says before she turns to head out the door.

* * *

 **This chapter makes me happy, not because R is hurt, but that it helped me to figure out how to work in the Casino Royale and Quantum Solace stuff, without R being there to interfere. :) I hope you all enjoy this, let me know!**

 **Comments/Reviews welcome!**


	10. Chapter 10

As it turns out, Moneypenny's estimation was a little bit off. R doesn't get to return to work for nearly four months. Most of that time spent holed up in his flat or with his doctors as he got some physical therapy to be able to not have a limp when he starts being able to walk on his leg again. He still does a lot of work from home, working on programs or schematics. Emails are sent back and forth between him and his employees and once a week or so someone comes by with papers and proposals for him to look over.

He's not entirely alone though. Moneypenny visits frequently, there is an elevator in his building so he is able to leave, and a few others from Q-branch come to visit the young man while he's out of action. He manages to hear second hand and a week late about what happens with the Casino Royale incident and Vesper. R's heart goes out to Bond when he hears about everything, but he keeps to himself, not reaching out to the agent. He wanted to keep things professional, so the only thing he does is ream out a few of the techs when he hears about the defibrillator's wire coming off. How they could allow such a design flaw when it could have cost an agent's life, is beyond him.

And after that, he hears about Quantum of Solace events after the mission is completed, as well as the attack on M. That prompts him to start working on a better program to do background checks on their agents and employees. There must have been something suspicious that people should have seen, or so R thinks. He is mostly frustrated with being at home, by this point, knowing that he could have assisted MI6 much better if he had been behind a computer in Q-branch helping with the mission rather than sitting on his butt. The only real advantage that he can see to this whole situation is that he has gotten a little more muscular over the past few months. He's not defined or buff by any means, but he has had little else to do and the exercises are supposed to be good for his leg. Things like swimming, which has allowed him to keep his svelte form.

While he is glad to hear that Bond caught the person responsible for Vesper's death, R remains unsure what to say about it, if anything. Even though they did agree to a professional relationship, he feels he should at least say something when R reads the mission report for that. Grabbing his phone a week after they caught Yusef Kabira, the young man decides to go with something a little more cheeky, and very much like him.

 _Congratulations on your recent successes. Haven't seen an inventory. I hope you're returning your equipment in one piece. -R_

Putting his phone aside, R gets up from his couch to hobble to the kitchen in order to get himself some more tea and grunting a bit as he realizes he's out of tea in general, and ran out of the good type Bond bought him a while ago. Looks like he's going to be going to the shops later.

By the time he returns with a small tray holding his mug, the glass teapot Bond gave him, and a few biscuits, R can see the light flashing on his phone indicating that he has a message.

 _I brought most of it back. -B_

R can't help but chuckle a little, both at the abbreviation of his last name and because of the agent's obviously evasive reply.

 _In one piece? -R_

 _Won't lie to you. Your minions are not as patient as you. -B_

 _Yes, I learned infinite patience, especially for overbearing, overgrown children known as double-ohs. -R_

 _Possibly everything but children. Not a child. -B_

R takes a deep breath as he reads the screen, surprised at how fast the agent can text, but perhaps that really shouldn't be as surprising as it really is. That was a bit of a jab, calling Bond an overgrown child, because it wasn't really true and now he wonders sadly if the older man was ever really allowed to be a child. With what he knows of the agent – which is still very little – he had some tragedy when he was younger that forced him to grow up much faster than any child should. Something that he can certainly relate to.

Glancing back up at Bond's previous message, he arches an eyebrow for a moment. "Minions?" He asks out loud because it surprises him so much, and so he forms another text.

 _Minions? The employees of Q-branch are not Minions. -R_

 _Not normally. They are rabidly loyal. Won't let anyone take your position, even temporarily. -B_

 _Well, that's rather sweet of them but unnecessary. Was reassured by M that my position is being held. -R_

 _Doesn't matter. You could tell them to do anything. They would. -B_

 _Interesting. Thank you for the information. -R_

 _Hope to see you back soon. -B_

 _Not to worry. Another few weeks and I will be making your life miserable again. -R_

 _Glad to hear it. I'll make sure to have something suitable prepared for your return. -B_

Staring at his phone for a few moments, R decides that he's not really sure how to take that and spends a little time chewing his lip as he tries to figure it out, but he finally shakes his head and put his phone aside when a group of emails come through that he has to deal with. It's nothing world ending that he has to deal with right away, but he knows how quickly these things can build up so wants to get through them when he can.

The next time his phone goes off, R recognizes the number and picks it up. "Good afternoon, Miss Moneypenny. I hope you're not calling with any emergencies." He notes, putting his phone between his head and shoulder as he tries to finish up an email that he was in the middle of.

"No, nothing like that." Eve reassures. "Just wanted to see how you were doing. A bit bored over here, so wanted to chat. Things are fairly quiet for once. At least for us lower agents." She jokes a little with some amusement in her tone.

"I am sure that is an exaggeration, Moneypenny, I would hardly consider you a lower agent." R reassures, though he is a little distracted as he finishes up his email, finally taking the phone back in his hand and giving his friend his full attention.

"Yeah, yeah. So when are you coming back, then?" Eve asks with some eagerness to her tone.

"A few more weeks, I think. It all depends on how I do at my evaluation next week. They want to make sure that I can stand and that there isn't any more pain. Which I told them there's not. I'm climbing the bloody walls." R grumbles a little as he glances around his flat for a few moments, already know there are a few things he wants to rearrange though he never spent enough time there to find out how inconvenient it was, before.

"Well, be sure to follow their directions or you might be off even longer. It'll be alright. If you want, I'll come 'round tonight, and we can watch some tellie or something." Eve offers with a bit of amusement. "There's a new movie that's come out I think you'll like. It's got that actor you like in it."

Feeling himself blush a little, R clears his throat slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about. But some company would be nice. I'll order take away." He offers as he glances around his apartment. "Come round at 5. And bring the movie, we'll see how well you think you know me." he says with some amusement as he gets up and limps over to the kitchen to start himself some more tea, smiling a little as he looks at the pot that Bond gave him, which has gotten heavy use over the last few months.

"Yeah, sure you don't. Alright, I'll see you at 5. Order pizza, with those garlic knots I love. I'll bring wine." Eve says with a little smile. "Take care. Ta."

R sighs, shaking his head as he looks at his phone after he hangs up before he goes about cleaning some of his flat, thinking about Eve and his conversation with Bond. It may have just been texting, but it was intriguing nonetheless.

* * *

 **Abrupt ending, but I needed to move on and I've been working over the last few paragraphs for like a week. I need to get R back in the game with the flirting and the hot agents. :D Hope you enjoy it!**

 **Reviews/Comments welcome!**


End file.
